Device for reinking typewriter ribbons



Jan. 9, 1945. D. H. HURLBUT DEVICE FOR RE-INKING -TYPEWRITER RIB'BONS Filed July 4, 1942 INVENToR. jouy/0s Har/af a@ f/f@ HTTO/VEY y Patentes Jan. 9, 1945 y Rsllneowsf` t y Douglas-Enchufe; Runen; luren., applicati@ July` 4, 1p94e;serialusmiranien.` i eolaims. letale-27) "Ihis'iinvcntionirelatesatogadeyicezfonreeinking i typewriter :ribbonsthey` object.; being to .I- provide. a

new and improved f. structure,` throughy which; a ribbonmayrbepassed from ar'spooltmberez-wound on areel. I I 1 1 f I The aobiectgofi the ainyen'tiomis.;tprovide; `a vnew and improvedzfmeansgfon application ,rofzithe ink. to the ribbon.4 andlftol uniformly dstributel the.VA ink on;theribbonand.,includcsgameans:suchzasgapad having.- two parts between. which@ the; ribbon is passed in frictional contact and'toonesofl which padsfinkmay be appliedlandfromcwhich itpasses between rollersunder; pressure :contact: with!` opposite-4 sidesI `of the .-rfibbonto.r thoroughly impregr nate .the -iiberszandintersticesbetween fthe-threads formingrlthe-ribbon.

Thedevice:furtherfinvolves specificestructural y .thererisea I similar .'blocle. 26- lhinged tothey :bloc-k `24 features: all.A of which areahereinafterlmore fully `describedandclaimedr. l vThe preferred form4 of dev-ice embodying 4my Fig. 1 is a plan view of mylimproyedxdevicer Thertwo AsideV frameshavesimlar, arms .i and 6 extending outwardly `from the,base:as.indicated I duplicate form` and preferably integral withthe base.

ments; at: the Ioppositevend ofithez.` framea The reel..` 2a and thewshaftiiauthereforc areimount'ed in like manner tovthat described4 in respect toritlie reel@` 2: and; shaft Brand: atacan has aipulley I 8u to whichtheebelt' IlSLz'ma-y `.be =appliediand-thus either reelfmambe' rotated? by .th'efcrankr I 61;. I

framesais# a roller mipreferablyvformedroffcomiparadaivehri softirnbbenandaoha sidez'frameirand i 4 has an upwardly extending arm 20 and2llwbetween which: is mounted; aisecon'df roller; 22 normaily: inf: nressurea engagement with; the rollen I l9 and between 1. whicin the ribbon; I :'I I passes; infr the` winding.V of therribbon-l ontoxthecrdel orzspooll Z. liaclnof;I the :side: framesg: and Mchavexhorizontal lug pontions=23womwhich is-,securcd anblock 24 :in I

which aniabsorbenttmaterial. 25 is secured and extending.:llongitudinally;-` of,A the.F device` as` indicated-eh21, while the-,block 26 hasa ani absorbent `material.23lthereon 4.Which-isi` providedwith al lone gitudinal...rib practically fitting theegroovezflwof the; abso'rbentE materia1w25t. The; two blocks; 24 and 12B may be releasablyrsecuredctogethen as by a latch. 291piuoted, to, thefframe. and having. an .end portiontting overapin ,31h-in theblock The block" 26.," preferably` a, threaded aperture, to

the. lower end tof. which HasanA openingY or openings through ,which ink.flows..by` gravity, intothe and'4 mayl accumulatein ,thelrecess 1401 An'apertured" distributor plate.32`is.supported f in'ftlie upper faceA of' the p ,ad 28.2 and forms., the

bottom. 4of the recess` e401'. This ,distributor-permits theink to passjhrugh .at serisiofapertures linto irnlf'ig.e aand as-shownfattthe right hand side of Fig. 2"are provided with a notch I to receive a shaft 8 on which the reel 2 is rotatable. Upon in- I troduotion of the shaft and the `reel in place, the

`shaft 8 extends outwardly of the arms 6 of the side frame 3 and a latch 9 engages thereoverto `support the reels in Ithe position shown. As indicated in Fig. 2 the shaft; 8a for the reel 2a has a lug I0 engaging a notch in the reel flange so that rotation of the shaft rotates the reel. For rota- I the absorbent. pad ,28 andlthence itpasses beneath the platethereby spreading the on `the ribbonzas ink on the ribbon surface; Due to the surface contact of the pads excess ink is wiped from the ribbon as it passes `from between the pads to the rollers.

The meeting line between the two` pads is at a point horizontally above the periphery of the l `aligned with the reel 2a. The meeting line be-` zontally aligned with the periphery of the ribbon 3 fined spool `2a and the reel 2 is horizontauy tween the `rollers I9 and 22 is practically horiwound on the reelZa. Thus the ribbon in passing between the inking pads is held taut and passes between the pads. in transversely curved l form as shown in Fig. 3. By rotation of the crank I 6 the ribbon is passed between the pads in comparatively tight surface Contact therewith and then passes between the rollers I9 and 22 which,

M 42,366,901 jl being in pressure contact, tend to not only force the ink into the interstices of the ribbon but also tend tospread the ink uniformly over the ribbon surface. When the ribbon has been fully Wound onto the reel 2 the free end may be passed over a roller 32 and thence over the roller 33 and connected with the spool hub. The belt I3 Vmay be taken from the pulley I l and placed on the pulley I8 and by reversing the` direction of rotation of the handle lli the inked ribbon may bere-wound on the spool 2a and ready for use in a typewriter.

The filled spool may be taken from the typewriter and placed on the shaft 8a and passed through the device fonthe re-inking of the ribbon and wound on the spool 2 and when fully wound on the spool 2 it may thenbe re-wound on the original spool and returned to the machinel for use, and thus continue use of ribbons that have usually been discarded heretofore.

It lis believed obvious from the foregoing description that the various features and objects 8f theinvention are attained by the structure described and it is further obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and .desirev to secure by Letters Patent of the United` States is: l

1. In a typewriter ribbon inking device in which a ribbon is unwound from a spool and wound up on a similar spool, a pair of rollers between which 4the ribbon `passes from the first to the second named spool, an ink applying device between the first named spool and the rollers comprising a pad formed of a stationary part and a hinged part,r` the said stationary part having a groove arcuate in form in cross section and at a level `horizontallya'bove a line extending from the point of contact of the rollers and the upper surface of the ribbon on the filled spool whereby, as the ribbon is wound up on the second named spool, it is held under tension in contact with lthe groove of the stationary pad, the pad on said part having a projecting portion of the same general outline i in cross section as the groove of the stationary pad, and means for supplying ink by gravity to the-pad on said hinged part.

2. Artypewriterribbon `inking device in which a ribbon'isunwound from a lled spool and wound` up on an unfilled spool, an ink applying device-between the said spools comprising a pad formed of a stationary and la hinged part, said stationary Apart being positioned above the level of the tops of the spools to thereby cause the ribbon tomove thereacross under tension as it is wound up on the unfilled spool, and means for automatically supplying ink to one of Said pad parts.

3. A typewriter ribbon inking `device in which.

a ribbon is unwound from a filled spool and wound up on an unfilled spool, an ink applying device between the said spools comprising a, pad formed of a lower stationary and an upper hinged part, said stationary part being positioned above the level of the tops of the spoolsjtothereby cause the ribbon to move thereacross under tension as it is wound up on the unfilled spool, said upper 'contact therewith,lthe upper pad having a recess lopposed pad surfaces.

above the face thereof contacting the lower pad, means for supplying ink to the said recess an apertured distributor plate between the ink supplying means and the upper pad, and means for .passingv the ribbon between the pads whereby excess ink applied to the upper surface of the ribbon in passing between the pads beneath the recess and excess ink removed from the ribbon as it passes beyond the recess in surface contact with the pads.

5. In a typewriter ribbon inking device, a pair of ink absorbent pads between which a ribbon may be passed in surface contact therewith, one of the pads having a recess above the face thereof contacting the other pad, means for supplying ink to the recess an apertured distributor plate between the ink supplying means and the upper pad whereby ink is applied to the ribbon by seep'- age from the recess as it passes between the pads and excess ink removed from'the ribbon as'it passes beyond the recess in contact with the opposed pad surfaces. i

6. In a typewriter ribbon inking device, a pair of superimposed .inkl absorbent pads between which the ribbon may be passed in surface contact therewith, the upper pad having a recess in the body above-the lowersurface and opening through the upper surface thereof, an apertured plate carried'by the upper pad and coveringv the open side of the recess, and means for supplying ink to the recess, the arrangement providing that excess ink applied to the ribbon surface in passing beneath the recess is removed from the ribbon as it passes from the recess in contact with the 

